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May 2020

basically, there are 2 character art styles that i like the most when looking at other people's art and i want to know which one i should lean more towards

first one is more simple with rounder and chibi-like proportions


second one has more realistic proportions with spindly bodies

i refuse to draw noses regardless

  • chibi
  • realistic

54voters

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  • created

    May '20
  • last reply

    May '20
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These both look great so I agonised for ages before voting!
I think for a comic, you'll find the more realistic proportions will give you a wider range of emotional expressions with your characters, and you'll be able to tell stories outside of silly comedy or lighthearted slice of life because it's easier to take intense drama seriously in a less cute and innocent style.
You can always drop into the chibi style for comedic effect in funny scenes. I'd also definitely expect merch in that chibi style to sell like hot cakes if you got notable enough to start merchandising your comic.

When I saw the first one (chibi), I immediately thought "this will be slice-of-life".

The second one (realistic), made me feel like "wow!! They're so cool looking! I wonder what epic story they have!"

Both are good and pleasing to the eye, but they do give different feelings :smile: darthmongoose says it better, but I just wanted to drop off my POV in case it would help you think in that direction too :slight_smile:

Both are really great, honestly! I'd go for the realistic option, but that's just personal preference.

Like everyone else at this point, I voted realistic. That style looks really nice~

But honestly, I think the poll is so unanimous because the "realistic" one is just drawn better. The shapes of the characters' bodies are well defined, and the details are cleaner, too: just look at the stripes on the left character's shirt.

If you're still undecided, just know you could make the "chibi" style work if you drew it similarly: keep the cheeb proportions and the round shapes, but make it more defined.

I voted for 'chibi'... because they actually look MORE realistic to me!

I understand how it is not entirely true, but I thought I would tell you as it may be a useful info, who knows... for someone like me, who dislike non-realistic proportions, the chibi version is less perturbating, probably because the proportions would not be that much off for small children. While the other version does not correspond to any possible life stage, as vertical proportions are realistic, but horizontal are not.

Haha Voth. You weird.

ᵒʰ ᵍᵒᵈ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵇᵒᵈʸ ᵛᵒᵗᵉᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵃʳᵈᵉʳ ᵗᵒ ᵈʳᵃʷ ᵒᵖᵗᶦᵒⁿ

maybe i should keep the overall proportions of the second option but give them the noodle limbs from the first?

with the second option, i wanted it to resemble tim burton (and artists with1 similar1 styles) draw most characters super skinny and tall

Yeah~~ I thought of "Houseki no Kuni" and stuff first, but I liked that aesthetic for those comics too! Tim Burton is also a good example that it reminds me of too! Especially with the genres and the way the story goes, I really enjoy it for what it is!

2

I prefer the more realistic style just because the shapes are clearer and it seems to give the characters a greater ability to be expressive. That being said however, the chibi style still has a lot of charm to it. Personally, I like to develop and maintain multiple styles and choose which one to use on a case-by-case basis. I know there can be a lot of pressure as an artist to have a distinct style, but both of your options are unique and intresting, This may see to be a cop-out answer, but why choose? With a little fine-tuning the more chibi style could look just as polished as the realistic style and it would be a shame to lean away from it.

Just my unqualified opinion :sweat_smile: